The time of leather calendars is over”

The time of leather calendars is over”

Automotive industry: Mr. Kapeller, you have been the Austrian sales manager at AkzoNobel for four years. What conclusion do you draw?
Daniel Kapeller:I became sales manager for Austria at a time when developments in the industry were accelerating again. I’m primarily talking about digitalization here. In recent years we have accompanied our customers on the path to digitalization, but the first step was to adapt ourselves. Sales as we used to know it had to change to become more efficient. Smartphones, tablets, WhatsApp as business communication, all of this has long been part of everyday life, but back then it was new territory, especially for many of the older generation. I drove digitalization within the Austrian organization. Those were two tough years at the beginning, but now everything works perfectly, whether it's technology, sales or internal sales, we use the technology very efficiently. This has made us extremely quick-witted and extremely fast. The time of leather calendars is over.

How big was the team then and how big is it now?
We were always six technicians and five district managers. In the trading areas we have developed the technicians into salespeople; they have a dual function, like technical advisors. The eleven-man team operates in four federal states including Vienna. If you add our trading network, we have a total of over 35 sales representatives.

Is that enough, or does it need to be expanded further?
We are currently in an excellent position in terms of personnel.

What specifically characterizes your customer service?
We have a clear focus on digitalization. The main aim is to accelerate or simplify processes that are time-consuming and costly. A good example from everyday work is ordering via scanner. In the past, inventory had to be checked, phone calls made, orders placed and so on. Today, orders are placed digitally at the push of a button. Relieving and simplifying work, increasing efficiency in every single process is what we advise our customers on. What is crucial is that we do this personally, as this is also a fundamental hallmark of our customer service.

Has personal contact become more important or less important?
He is becoming more and more important. Because daily work procedures are becoming more and more complex and complicated. That's exactly why customers value the personal support. Even if technical support is needed quickly, we are on site and we always hear that this is a big plus for customers.

Keyword: shortage of skilled workers. To what extent do you get this from the companies?
We are constantly asked if we know someone. That is also the reason why we are so involved in the guild. For example, we act as a sponsor for the apprentice challenge in Vienna because we want to support training. This is our future.

Do you also feel the shortage of skilled workers yourself when recruiting field staff?Yes, it is very difficult to get a good sales representative.

“Personal contact is becoming more and more important because daily work procedures are becoming more and more complex.”DANIEL KAPELLER, SALES MANAGER AKZONOBEL

How do you do it then?
Fortunately, we have extremely low fluctuation. Ewald Munk, for example, has been with us for his 30th year this year, and Erwin Pfeiffer has been in the AkzoNobel family for almost as long.

What assessment do you make of your appearance at AutoZum, which took place at the Salzburg Trade Fair in January this year?
The success is basically not measurable because we didn't write orders directly at the trade fair. But: we made more than 160 proper contacts. We have already converted two new customers. In any case, the image gain was enormous. The feedback during the trade fair and afterwards also showed us that it was the best thing we could have done. This cannot be quantified in euros. We were the only paint manufacturer with an eye-catching and spacious stand.

Does that mean AkzoNobel will be at AutoZum again in two years?
We have a lot of confidence based on our successes over the past four years and we decide this independently in Austria. Of course, decisions are coordinated within the DACH organization. But it is important to know the needs of the countries and to make decisions on this basis, and as an Austrian in Austria I of course have an advantage.

How do you assess the current market situation?
The market is still very, very competitive. It is an extreme cut-throat competition. Of course, there is a way to achieve better results at the expense of your own employees. In other words: fewer employees have to do more, we don't do that. For us, quality prevails over quantity - this is how we strengthen the team and provide premium service for our customers. It is important to understand: Our business is a cycle, as we develop our customers, they in turn strengthen our business.

Are you not adjusting the price screw?
We offer market prices and we don't have to do business at any price. Sometimes you have to say “no” to protect your business. I am responsible for my employees, who can rely on having a secure job.

What does AkzoNobel offer its customers apart from paint?
It goes without saying that our paint meets the highest quality standards, so we don't need to do any convincing here. By far the most important thing for us is our great manpower. We provide optimal technical support. If we set up the system on Friday evening, we will start working with our product on Monday and we have the manpower to support this process until it works 100 percent. Speed, no loss of time and more efficiency are very important for customers. Experience has taught us that this is the only right way. For example, when we converted 34 customers with ABW within 14 days, the focus was not on the product presentation, but on the meticulous training of the team.

Do you convince the boss or the painter when recruiting new customers?
It starts with a commercial offer at managing director level. No matter how promising the offer may be, if the painter doesn't cooperate, we can do a headstand. So we need the opportunity to go to the painters together with the – convinced – boss. The central question for the painter is: What needs to work better for you from now on than in the past? All questions will then be addressed during the debriefing. Both the boss and myself are there. If everything is not yet clarified, our technician will stay at the company for another week. We have set up 84 mixing benches in recent years and have already gained seven new customers this year.

How does Acoat Selected or Acoat Selected Intense work?
38 companies are now Acoat Selected partners. We also have 16 Acoat Selected Intense companies. This standardized network cannot be compared with any other network, especially since it will be audited by Dekra this year. In fact, every requirement must be met to the letter, otherwise there will be no certification from Dekra.

Are there quantitative goals? For example: Do we want to have 25 Acoat Selected Intense partners by the end of the year?
No, better slowly, but smartly. Quality over quantity.

What does a company benefit from becoming an Acoat Selected partner?
The Acoat Selected bouquet is so broad that it is difficult to explain in a few sentences. The most important thing is that in our partner program we offer services that are effective today, but also look ahead to further develop our customers. And we don't decide what the companies need on our own, but rather in close cooperation with our advisory board. Specifically, four advisory board members, with the customer formulating very precisely in the form of three to four meetings per year: What do we need as a company. Commercial seminars, business consulting, process optimization are just a few of the keywords from our unique program.

"It's better to go slow, but smart. Quality over quantity"DANIEL KAPELLER IN THE VEHICLE ECONOMY INTERVIEW

And Acoat Selected Intense?
The topic of claims management will concern our companies even more in the future. The demands of these partners are high. The Intense standard is aimed at further developing companies in this direction until they meet the quality standard that is achieved through certification. This also requires training. Just one example is “digital damage photography”. This is essential because when you work with insurers you have to be able to photograph the damage precisely. It's about correct documentation and billing of the damage.

They also have carbeat in their program to optimize everyday work processes.
Carbeat is a component of PCE (Process Centered Environment), AkzoNobel's process optimization concept. It networks communication in the company and, above all, means more efficiency in body and paint shops. But PCE goes much further and does not ignore any process; nothing is left to chance in the daily workflow.

Keyword: Digital color matching. You recently said that you see no future in the physical color database.
Even if the box is properly maintained and the additions are meticulously added, a lot of time and money is lost. We have around 1200 colors added every year, just regular colors! With variants it goes towards 4000. Documenting all of this physically is completely impractical and nonsensical. With us, the customer has a digital color measuring device with which he accesses a cloud that contains millions of color tones.

Which individual process in everyday work has the greatest potential for improvement?
The most obvious one is digital color matching. We have converted well over 90 percent of our customers to digital.

What mistakes are made most often?
That employees are not involved. The more responsibility an employee has and the right to co-determination, the more motivated he or she is. This increases work performance and strengthens the team.